Zhang Lixun

• Professor
• Lanzhou University

Most of the temperate species are expected to have moved to lower altitudes during the glacial periods of the Quaternary. Here we tested this hypothesis in a cold-tolerant avian species Tibetan snowcock (Tetraogallus tibetanus) using two segments of mitochondrial gene (a 705bp Cytochrome-b; abbrev. Cyt-b and an 854 bp Control Region; abbrev. CR) an...

The part of mtDNA cytb gene sequences were analyzed in 11 Himalayan snowcock local populations sampled across their distributions to detect the correlations between genetic diversities and environmental factors. The genetic variables including percentages of variable nucleotide sites/length of sequence, mean pairwise differences and nucleotide dive...

To test the validity of subspecies status within the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), we used genetic data to assess differences among five subspecies distributed across the Loess Plateau in central China. Samples were collected from 191 individuals representing subspecies P. c. strauchi, P. c. satscheuensis, P. c. kiangsuensis, P. c. suehsch...

We have used phylogeographic methods to investigate the genetic structure and population history of the endangered Himalayan snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayensis) in northwestern China. The mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was sequenced of 102 individuals sampled throughout the distribution range. In total, we found 26 different haplotypes defined by...

The taxonomic status of some genera within the Phasianidae remains controversial. To demonstrate the phylogenetic relationships of four endemic genera (Tetraophasis, Ithaginis, Crossoptilon and Chrysolophus) and other 11 genera of Phasianidae in China, a total of 1070 nucleotides of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region genes were sequenced. The...

Restoring forests is crucial for safeguarding biodiversity and providing ecosystem functions on degraded lands globally. Despite significant restoration efforts over a half-century in the Loess Plateau of China ’s prominent dryland region, the impact of restored forests on biodiversity remains less understood. Unlike the abundant studies in the tro...

Many species are undergoing rapid demographic declines, necessitating an examination of the resulting genetic impacts. The prevailing small population paradigm posits an elevated genetic load and extinction risk. However, instances of fast recovery from severe population bottlenecks suggest alternative outcomes. To investigate this issue, we perfor...

Biodiversity is under threat due to human-induced changes in land use. While various aspects of biodiversity are increasingly studied in response to these changes, there is limited understanding of their effects on the structure and composition of bird communities in dryland regions. We examined the impacts of land use change on birds in the semi-a...

The Anthropocene's human‐dominated habitat expansion endangers global biodiversity. However, large mammalian herbivores experienced few extinctions during the 20th century, hinting at potentially overlooked ecological responses of a group sensitive to global change. Using dental microwear as a proxy, we studied large herbivore dietary niches over a...

Carnivores play a key role in maintaining the stability of food webs and the balance of ecosystem functions， and understanding the temporal niches between predators and their prey can contribute to the rare species conservation. During September 2018 to August 2020， we deployed 60 camera traps to monitor seasonal variation in the daily activity rhy...

It is essential to study the characteristics of land use change in the Fuxian Lake basin, a plateau lake in Yunnan Province, and to predict the basin’s future trend of land use change for sustaining the key carriers of current national major strategies such as ecological civilization, green development, and rural revitalization. This study used the...

Ecosystem monitoring involves fully understanding the complex interactions of ecosystem progress and providing massive scientific data to answer research questions. Fetching data in extreme areas without a public network largely relies on human efforts. Along with the ongoing advances of the Internet of Things (IoT), the Internet of Remote Things (...

Simple Summary Long-term monitoring of the Alpine musk deer (AMD, Moschus chrysogaster) population is essential in any human-dominated landscape as their population is globally showing a declining trend due to high deforestation rates, hunting pressure, and human disturbance. In view of that, the AMD population was monitored in Xinglong Mountain Na...

The Qilian Mountain Basin, on the northeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), supports a high diversity of native and endemic fish. However, the detailed species inventory and distribution patterns concerning fish in the whole Basin remain unknown, which hinders the conservation of biodiversity and assessment of ecological health. We comp...

In order to explore the landscape pattern evolution and driving forces of the Yilong Lake watershed, the combined method of supervised classification with manual visual interpretation based on the landsat5TM/8OLI remote sensing image data sources was used to establish a high-precision spatial distribution information database of the Yilong Lake wat...

Simple Summary Camera-trapping technology has been widely applied to obtain survey data and enhance understanding of animal ecology. Ground-dwelling pheasants with limited distributions and weak dispersal capacity are prone to extinction due to disturbances and climate change in high-altitude mountain areas. The Qilian Mountains form a global biodi...

Yilong Lake is the southernmost plateau freshwater lake in China. The health of its watershed ecosystem is of special strategic significance to maintain the ecological security and ensure the sustainable development of regional economy and society. This paper analyzed the characteristics of landscape type in Yilong Lake Basin of 1990, 1995, 2000, 2...

From August 2017 to August 2018, 60 infrared cameras were set up in three monitoring sample areas in Gansu Qilian Mountains National Nature Reserve.A total of 1 619 independent wildlife photographs were collected from 14 999 camera-days.Nineteen species were identified and belonged to 5 orders and 9 families.Three domestic animal species were captu...

The migration routes and migratory patterns of Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus summering in western Mongolia have not previously been described and the status of East Asian population is currently uncertain. Here we therefore use a combination of satellite tracking data, sightings of colour-marked individuals, published literature and expert knowledge...

Abstract Background Phylogeographical patterns and population dynamics are usually interpreted by environmental disturbances and geographic barriers of the past. However, sister species may exhibit disparate patterns of genetic structures and population dynamics due to their habitat preference and altitude segregation. In this study, we tested how...

Background: Animals living at high altitude must adapt to environments with hypoxia and low temperatures, but relatively little is known about underlying genetic changes. Toad-headed lizards of the genus Phrynocephalus cover a broad altitudinal gradient of over 4000 m and are useful models for studies of such adaptive responses. In one of the firs...

Background: The behavior of cranes reflects many of their survival strategies, but little has been known of the incubation strategies of cranes, in which both parents share incubation duties, in response to cold temperatures in alpine environments. The lack of information may restrict the effective conservation of the threatened Black-necked Crane...

The effects of the physical environment on populations of organisms endemic to the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas have attracted increased scientific interest in recent years. Triplophysa leptosoma (Cobitidae: Cypriniformes) is an endemic species restricted to the Tibet Plateau and adjacent areas. Its distribution includes river systems...

The biparental incubation model is an excellent one for investigating how parents resolve sexual conflict and achieve cooperation, especially in cold alpine environments. We used video monitoring of 20 nests 24 h/day to systematically investigate the incubation pattern of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), a biparental waterbird with threat...

We investigated population dynamics, breeding pairs, breeding habitat selection, nest density, distance between neighboring nests, nest survival, reproductive success, and recruitment rate for Black-necked Cranes (BNC, Grus nigricollis ) during 2013–2015 in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve (YCW), Gansu, China. Numbers of BNC and breeding pairs rem...

Survey data of the Black-necked Cranes during our monitoring years in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

Survey areas of breeding Black-necked Cranes in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve Black line: Black-necked Crane survey route. Grey circles with dots: locations of 29 monitored Black-necked Crane nests on the main Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve.

Disturbance from livestock (A) Black-necked Crane on the nest with a herd of livestocks, (B) two horses near the nest, (C) A cow is sniffing eggs and (D) nest abandoned due to disturbance from livestocks. (A) Photo taken by LX Zhang and (B), (C) and (D) still photos captured from video footage at nests of Black-necked Cranes.

Incubation process recorded from video footage at nests of Black-necked Crane. (A) two eggs on the haystack nest during parents’ incubation break (photo taken by LX Zhang), (B) one parent on the nest accompanied by the other parent (still photo captured from video footage at nests of Black-necked Cranes) and (C) a recently hatched chick (photo take...

Black-necked crane nest #4 in a marsh where (A) = May 5 from this video footage (Fig. S6) at nests of Black-necked Cranes in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

Two rescued Black-necked Crane original nests and their satellites tracks (A) View of BNC-1 nest environment, (B) active spots (red points) from BNC-1, (C) BNC-1 active range and different roosting shifts before migration, (D) view of BNC-2 nest environment, (E) active spots (red points) from BNC-2 and (F) BNC-2 active range roosting shifts before...

Ground nest type definition picture from this video footage (used in Fig. 5B) at the nest of the Black-necked Crane in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

Two horses near the nest picture from this video footage (Used in Fig. S2B) at nests of Black-necked Cranes in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

Black-necked crane nest #10 in a pond where (C) = May 8 from this video footage (used in Fig. S6C) at the nests of Black-necked Crane in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

Black-necked Crane chick mortality caused by entanglement in livestock fence in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China Photo taken by LX Zhang.

A cow sniffing eggs Image from this video footage (used in Fig. S2C) at the nest of the Black-necked Crane in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China.

Nest abandoned due to disturbance from livestock from this video footage (used in Fig. S2D) at the nests of Black-necked Cranes in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

One crane parent is leaving nest and nest unattended

Original data for nest and nest site characteristics in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

Effects of declining water level between May and June on two Black-necked crane nests (A) & (B) Black-necked crane nest in a marsh where (A) = May 5 and (B) = June 6, (C) & (D) Black-necked crane nest in a pond where (C) = May 8 and (D) June 7 (all from still photos captured from video footage at nests of Black-necked Crane).

Strong disturbance definition picture captured from this video footage (used in Fig. 2A) at the nest of the Black-necked Crane in Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve, Gansu, China

Geographical variation of body color is widely present in reptile populations that survive in different substrate habitats, multiple potential mechanisms can account for this color variation. Phrynocephalus versicolor and P. frontalis, close genetic relatives, constitute a phylogenetic species group together with P. przewalskii. In this study, a fi...

We reported here the first complete sequences of mitogenome of Tetraogallus himalayensis obtained by next generation sequencing methods. The assembled mitogenome is a 16 692 bp circle, comprising of 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA), 22 tRNA genes, and one control region. The resultant phylogenetic tree supported T. hi...

Data from eight microsatellite loci were used to infer the evolutionary and past demographic processes in 97 Tibetan snowcocks sampled from eight different geographical locations on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Analysis of the microsatellite DNA markers indicated that Tibetan snowcock on the plateau were geographically structured, and that phylogen...

The taxonomic status of the subspecies Alectoris chukar remains unclear since 1830. To obtain more information on phylogenetic relationships within the species, the entire mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region sequences of eleven subspecies were analyzed to construct the phylogenetic tree among the subspecies of chukar partridge. There was a sig...

Without Abstract

In total, 535 nucleotides in the mtDNA cytochrome b have been sequenced in Tetraogallus. The 53 variable sites define 16 haplotypes in 53 Tetraogallus himalayensis samples, 1 haplotype in 2 T. altaicus samples, and 6 haplotypes in 19 T. tibetanus samples. The lowest genetic distance is between T. himalayensis and T. altaicus (0.011). The divergent...

From 1993 to 2002, the geographical distribution, habitat contraction and numbers of wild Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus ferus) were investigated in Annanba Nature Reserve, Wanyaodun Nature Reserve and Yardan Geological Park. Over the past 1,000 years, the distribution area of the wild Bactrian camel has shrunk 1,000 km2 westwards in Gansu Pro...